Rozen Maiden - Episode 01
Rozen Maiden / Fräulein Rose (薔薇乙女 Bara Otome) is the first episode of the Rozen Maiden anime series. It first aired in Japan on October 7, 2004. Summary : The episode starts with flashback scenes of a European-style party, in which the attention goes to a girl dressed in red. She is seen with her father strolling through the garden and when she is introduced to the partygoers, they give a round of applause. The girl receives many presents, and we can infer this event is her birthday. A scene later, in a darker room with toys, the girl notices one doll, dressed in red much like her, slowly standing up and walking towards her. The doll is then shown asleep in a briefcase, and the girl quickly shuts it and hugs her father. Just when the doll opens her eyes, the briefcase is shut, and she realizes she is trapped once again. : Fast forward to present-day Japan. Nori Sakurada declines going out with her friends for her brother still isn't feeling well. After shopping at the convenience store, Nori bicycles home and checks the mailbox and the front door to find nothing important, to which she is relieved. Suddenly, several deliverymen appear at the door with packages for a terrified Nori to sign and stamp. The packages are for her younger brother, Jun, who is currently in his room surfing the Internet and couldn't care less about his sister's calls. He picks up a nearby envelope and reads out a letter instructing him to place it in the second drawer of his desk, where the spirit liaison, Holie, will deliver it to the spirit world. For Jun, whose hobby is shopping for supernatural items, this is an offer he can't refuse, and so he circles his agreement and places the letter in his drawer as stated. Nori comes in with the deliveries, commenting that Jun shouldn't have to buy such items. The boy normally orders the items through mail, plays with them, and returns them before a payment must be made. Nori asks if Jun could find a new hobby like lacrosse. Nonetheless, he orders his sister out to ship back several orders. Nori asks through the door if Jun would at least eat with her and have a conversation, but upon mentioning that he could return to school, Jun snaps and shouts at his sister to leave. : Jun turns around to return to his seat when he trips over a briefcase decorated with gold edges and a rose emblem. He curiously opens it to find a doll (the same doll from the introduction) and a wind-up key. After examining her perfect features, Jun winds up the doll, and freaks out when he witnesses her coming to life. Upon opening her eyes, she walks forward to Jun and promptly slaps him in the face. The doll, introduced as Shinku, the fifth doll of the Rozen Maiden series, points out Jun's rudeness for touching her and the overall messiness of his bedroom. Shinku was, in fact, sent to Jun because of the agreement he signed with Holie. When Jun is surprised to find the letter in his drawer suddenly vanished, he panics and thinks Shinku is a scam or a curse sent for his making fun of such goods. Shinku quickly shows she is not to be mishandled, but her attention then goes to one of Jun's "cursed dolls". Jun is then instructed to always carry Shinku like she's sitting in his arms, but when she examines the doll, a swarm of black feathers arrive, signaling the appearance of a clown puppet who broke through Jun's window and into the room. : Shinku announces that Jun will die, for the clown puppet has been sent to kill him. Jun initially and nervously passes off her warning as a joke, saying that he isn't going to be afriad of being killed, but when the clown's cards make swift cuts in Jun's sweater, he becomes truly scared of the situation and cannot escape the locked door. Shinku says that the only way for Jun to be saved is if he swears an oath to her. He hastily agrees, and kisses Shinku's rose ring to make the contract. An alike ring appears on Jun's hand, and with the help of his cursed dolls, Shinku quickly dispatches the clown puppet. She notes how Jun must be not an entirely bad person, for his dolls had such a will to protect him that they fought with ease. Shinku also explains that the ring signifies Jun's promise to protect her, for he is the medium that gives her power, which ultimately makes him her servant. Much to his dismay, the ring remains permanently fixed on his finger and there is no way to remove it without her help, otherwise his flesh will wither. She then says that one of Jun's dolls says that Jun has a hole in his heart. Despite humiliation from the fact that a doll cannot be tall enough to reach the door, Shinku still sternly orders for Jun to bring her tea. : Jun is in the kitchen when he catches sight of his school uniform and shoes on the dining table. When Nori enters, Jun vehemently expresses that he will never go to school, but Shinku's sudden appearance downstairs makes him rush the doll back to his room while ordering Nori to bring him the tea. Shinku observes how Jun treats the women in his life so rudely. When the tea arrives, Shinku brings out her golden teacup and tastes it. Jun declines drinking some due to knowing Nori's tea never tastes good, and while Shinku agrees that the preparation is inadequate, she takes note of how the tea still has a kind taste to it, reminding him that his sister does care for him. Reflecting on this, Jun takes a sip, and tells his waiting sister outside that she has improved. Shinku decides that Jun is worth training to become her servant. Finally, when Nori enters to discover Jun sitting across Shinku, the doll asks for her name, and Nori is immediately attracted to this well-made doll. She tells an enraged Jun that some boys his age would go through such a stage during adolescence, before he orders her out once more. The episode ends as Shinku stares out at the full moon. Important Events * Jun Sakurada first meets Shinku and becomes her medium. Trivia * "Fräulein Rose" is German and means "Miss Rose". Screenshots References & Citations Category:Episodes Category:Rozen Maiden Episodes